Israel Will Cease To Exist In 10 Years, Claims Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Official

Essam el-Erian  of the Islamist Freedom and Justice Party (FJP),  and one of President Mohammed Morsi's advisers, is in hot water for telling Egyptian Jews to come on home during an interview on Dream2 TV on December 27, 2102.

Erian said of the Jews:

"It is better for Jews to live in a country like Egypt rather than in a country contaminated by occupation."

He added that Jews should return to Egypt to "make way for the Palestinian people" and said, "Every Egyptian has the right to come back to Egypt, no matter what his religion.

“Egyptian Jews should refuse to live under a brutal, bloody and racist occupation stained with war crimes against humanity,” Erian said.

This had some Israelis elated, including one Israeli TV channel:

“After thousands of years since Egyptian Jews left Egypt, finally someone has called for their return,” the channel said, according to a report from the Egyptian Al-Wafd newspaper.

But Morsi spokesman Yasser Ali  has said Erian's comments are not representative of Morsi's administration, and lawyer Mohamed Salem wants blood.

Lawyer Mohamed Salem filed a complaint with prosecutors on Saturday against Erian, demanding he be stripped of parliamentary immunity and interrogated for his remarks which, Salem said, endanger the country's sovereignty and unity. He also accused the Islamist leader of disseminating false information by suggesting that Arab and Egyptian Jews in the occupied lands, who left Egypt during Nasser's presidency, are to be blamed for the occupation.

Then on Tuesday,  Erian told ONTV that in ten years time there will be no Israel, which is probably what he really meant by welcoming the Egyptian Jews to return to Egypt. This ceasing to exist of course does not take into account what happens to all those Jews who did not happen to migrate from Egypt to Israel back in 1948, 1958 and 1967 after the Israel/Egypt wars. Apparently, most of the 80,000 or so who lived there left the country.

During the ONTV interview Erian tried to explain what he meant by his December 27 comments.

Erian said: the “ideology of Zionism” had ended in failure and “Palestine’s occupiers” should leave to make way for the return of the Palestinians.

“Jewish occupiers of the territory of historic Palestine are an obstacle to the Palestinians’ right of return”, he said. “Anyone who can read the future can see that this project has a decade, less than a decade to go, and it is our faith that the people of Palestine can then return to Palestine”.

Erian’s latest comments have alarmed Israel, with the official Israel Radio station expressing “disappointment”.
[snip]
According to Egypt’s private-owned newspaper “Youm 7”, Israel Radio blasted Erian, saying Israel has never questioned the legitimacy of the Egyptian state, and expects to be treated equally by Egypt, with which it has a peace treaty.

The backlash from Israel Radio was an altogether different response from other Israeli media outlets.

Earlier this week Israel’s Channel 10 welcomed Erian’s remarks inviting Jews to return to Egypt.

“After thousands of years since Egyptian Jews left Egypt, finally someone has called for their return”, the channel said, according to the Egyptian Al-Wafd newspaper.

The difference is, as far as I can tell, last week he didn't actually mention Israel will cease to exist. There's a major difference between welcoming the Jews back to Egypt and claiming there will be no Israel within a decade.

And why would Egyptian Jews want to return to an Islamist-led country where the Christian population is persecuted and marginalized?  They'd be fools.  As it is, I doubt they will be welcomed back.